Multiple families are homeless after a three-alarm blaze destroyed a three-family home and caused extensive damage to a pair of six-unit dwellings on Hood Street Friday afternoon.

According to Capt. Maurice Reney of the Fall River Fire Department, the fire started at 170 Hood St. No one was injured, but several pets perished in the blaze. An investigation is under way, and the cause of the fire is not known.

Lt. Eduardo Raposo of the Fall River Police Department said one of the adjacent homes suffered extensive fire-related damage to the roof and upper floors, and the other home suffered minor damage to the siding.

The fire was called in by cellphone at 4:04 p.m. The first fire apparatus arrived three minutes later Reney said. A total of 60 off-duty firefighters were called in to battle the blaze. Eight engines, three ladder trucks and two command cars were on the scene, with mutual aid provided by Dartmouth Station 3, Westport, Swansea, Seekonk, Somerset, Freetown and Tiverton.

Acting Deputy Chief William Joaquim said the fire was under control about 5:45 p.m., but crews stayed late into the evening cleaning up the area.

Conditions were extremely difficult, with wind chills in the teens and gusts hitting 35 mph. The wind was sweeping the water firefighters were spraying up and over adjacent rooftops. The smell of the fire was carried across the neighborhood by the wind and the surrounding blocks were filled with hoses snaking down the street, with water running into drains.

“The wind was horrible,” said Reney. “That was definitely a factor.”

Reney said three engines and a ladder truck were called to the scene initially, but due to the severity of the fire, all pieces of fire equipment in the city ended up responding to the location. Some out-of-town pieces were also at the scene, while others manned the various stations across the city responding to other calls.

Reney said the severity of the blaze reminded him of the Notre Dame de Lourdes Church fire, which destroyed several multifamily dwellings in the early 1980s.

Kat Powers, director of communications for the American Red Cross of Eastern Massachusetts, said crews responded to the scene Friday evening and provided food and clothing to those affected by the fire.

This is the city’s second major fire in the early days of 2012. On Jan. 3, the King Phillip Mill Complex suffered major fire damage. Investigators determined that arson was the cause of that blaze, and suspect Christopher Silva was arrested later that day.